Bone plates may generally be utilized to carry out two different types of osteosynthesis, namely “rigid osteosynthesis” and “flexible osteosynthesis.” Rigid osteosynthesis is used for medical care of joint fractures, simple shaft fractures (where nailing is impossible) as well as for osteotomies. Aside from the possibility of anatomical repositioning, the bone itself supports and stabilizes the osteosynthesis, which allows for the possibility of putting stress on the extremity earlier and without pain. Additional advantages of the medical care of stable fractures can be observed when the blood circulation in the bone is greatly diminished due to trauma. For treating “nonunions” or in the case of existing infection, the fracture must be kept stable in order to make bone healing possible and so as not to irritate the infection further by instability of the fracture gap.
Flexible osteosynthesis, also known as “biological osteosynthesis,” may be desirable in the medical treatment of comminuted fractures in the shaft region of tubular bones. In the case of these fractures, it is an objective to maintain the proper length of the bone and to fix the bone ends (joints) in their proper anatomic positions with respect to one another. With flexible osteosynthesis, the fracture zone is not directly affixed or manipulated, and consequently, the blood circulation in this area is not inhibited. Bone plates designed for flexible osteosynthesis thus operate similarly to a locking, intramedullary nail, which is anchored only in the metaphyses.
Since fractures cannot always be treated with one type of osteosynthesis, surgeons must frequently compromise because a bone plate, which allows him to combine the two types of osteosynthesis discussed above, is not available. Such a combination would be beneficial, for example, when a joint fracture can be compressed with traction screws through the bone plate and the whole of the joint may be connected to the diaphysis over an internal fixative with angularly stable screws. Another illustrative application concerns porotic bones, where a bone plate with axially and angularly stable screws can be anchored in the metaphysial fragment, with a stable plate-affixation being undertaken in the diaphyseal range with the assistance of a plate traction screw through the fracture. A primary fracture stabilization can be achieved by this type of procedure.
This situation has led to the development and marketing of bone implants for both types of osteosynthesis. The two types of implants, however, are designed specifically for their respective method. Thus, the disadvantages of these two systems lie in the difficulty in combining them.
Thus, a need exists for improved bone plates that provide for both rigid and flexible osteosynthesis.